I'm going to buy an EVO, which is strange for me because I very rarely switch cars. I've always planned on keeping my WRX, and probably will even after I buy the EVO. In the last 2 years of modding, I've learned tons about the WRX, specifically weaknesses the car has, certain things to avoid doing with the car, other things that really improved the car etc.

What I'd like to hear from those of you who own the car is some good, honest input on the car- Specifically the good, the bad, and the ugly. I don't think anything people post here could make me want the car any more (although my wife would like me to want it LESS), but I'd just like to have a better idea of what I'm going to be getting into.

An example: If someone were asking me about buying a WRX, I'd would tell them that I have really liked the car, but there are a few problems with it (many of which the STi fixed). The 5-speed tranny likes to break (although I managed to never break mine). The brakes are inadequate for any power level more than stock, and are worthless after about 10 minutes on a road course. The steering is a tad slow. The stock clutch causes the entire car to shudder when the car is cold, especially during the winter. The factory seats in '02-'03 cars could be much better. The spark plugs aren't too fun to change. Certain installs for aftermarket parts are not fun (up-pipe). But on the other hand, the car is a lot of fun to drive. A few bolt-on's can really change how the car behaves (for a price, of course). And if you can learn how to be nice to the transmission, you can have a 300 whp, 12 second station wagon and keep it.

Anyway, I think you guys get the point. I'd appreciate any advice you could give me.

 

Good: Razor-sharp handling, lightning quick steering, the stiff suspension, the seats, braking power, the turbo spoolin', gets so much attention(the 3rd day I owned it, I parked it at a Starbucks and had 30 people crowd over my car),and anything else that pops in my head hehe

Bad: Interior is crap, but it's a 30k performance car, so you get what you pay for, cruise control, crap gas mileage, but its expected, top-end isn't too great, and sub-par low-end

Ugly: The stock clutch for many. While there are lots of people who have over 30k miles with the stock clutch, others haven't been so fortunate, either due to bad luck or abuse. It's a varied situation in this case.

I hope mine helped contribute to your purchase decision. I would've made a long post, but I wanted to keep it as short as possible

 

just messin with ya PePe!!

 

I know hehe. At least I don't have a monthly payment no more w00t.

BTW, do they have the MR's at Lewisville? I want to know before I make a 20 minute drive to Lewisville, and I'll be pissed if I had to drive all the way there and it's not there

 

Hey what's up! It's a fun car and you should buy it!

 

I'm guessing that you already know the good.

The problems:
- cheap thin paint. We bought a Mazda 6 and EVO around the same time. both are black and the paint quality is worlds apart. The only thing I can recommend is learn how to detail a car correctly before your first wash of the EVO (autopia.org has some great advice). Basically I found that what I was doing wrong was not using the BEST equipment. It worked fine for all my other cars but the EVO is very delicate.

- The stock brake pads can leave a deposit on the rotors. This deposit feels like warped rotors. Word of advice is never stay on the brakes after you brake hard. It's staying on the brakes after you've stoped that can leave the deposit (it can also warp the rotors).

- Tires and brake pads are expensive and wear quickly. I haven't tracked or autox'ed my car and the tires lasted 18k and my brake pads currently need replacing (25k miles).
Stock tires are ~$220 /tire
Cheap replacements are $110+/ tire

Brake pad replacements are $220 / set (F and R).

- Gas mileage is terrible. I average 18-19 for city and highway (my car is stock).

- Seat side bolsters are wearing in. The seats aren't as comfy and there's no lumbar support. This could be due to the expansion in my belt line though.

- The cheap mouse fur (material to cover the doors and center armrest) wears fast. It seems really thin and I have a good feeling that my dog may rip it someday with his nails.

- small gas tank. I get on average 200 miles/tank before the light comes on (~1 gallon left).

That's all I can think of right now. Really my only problem with the car is the cheap paint. I'd highly recommend white or silver since they won't show swirl marks as easily. Other than that the car has been awesome. Very practical and very quick in all situations. My clutch is still going strong at 25k with plenty of launches. My take on the clutch issue is that it's all driver related. If you're a person who is drag racing every weekend then you're going to need a new clutch. If you take care of it, it will last plenty long.

 

How tall are you? I heard that problem, but only among those who are 6'1 or taller. I'm 5'6 and I never had the seat side bolsters showing wear and tear. The side bolsters came up on the driver's side, but I got it repaired under warranty so it wasn't too bad.

 

I'm 6'2" ~210#

 

Well, at 5'8" and 155lbs, I should fit just fine in the EVO. As for the clutch, I guess I'll just have to see how it works out. I suppose I'll just replace it if I have trouble with it. Now I just have to get the car and see how it works. The current problem with getting the car is that I currently live overseas and won't be back for at least two years. I'm just hoping Mitsubishi doesn't screw the car up in the next few years.

A few more questions:

For those who have modded the car- When does the intercooler become either too restrictive, or just not cool the charge well.

How about the fuel system- Fuel pump- size? Injectors- how many cc's? Any fuel rail weaknesses (with the stock fuel rail)?

Anyone know the max for the airflow meter?

Exhaust manifold- do people prefer to keep the twinscroll setup, or do they change to a conventional setup with most upgrades?

Suspension- how do the factory struts/shocks hold up under track use?

 

Hey all. yes we have the MR in stock @ Lewisville Mitsu - I work there!! Ask For " Chief"
The graphite gray & apex silver

 

wombat had some good avice about the brakes, but that applies to any car. that is one of the first things they will tell you at any drivers ed events. after any hard braking, always use the brakes as little as possible and not at all if you can. the heat generated will melt the pads to the rotors and or warp them. it is not specific to the EVO. also, the brakes on the EVO are far superior to the brakes on your WRX, and most stock cars for that matter. as you know the STI will also have big brakes.

as for the gas milage, this is going to depend entirely on how you drive. wombat claimed 18-19 mpg city and highway, and only 200 miles to the tank, well i would imagine he really pushes his car hard. i have not gotten less then 260 miles on a tank and thus far have averaged 23-25 mpg. a majority of the time i can run 300 miles on one tank. my car is totally stock too.

i agree with everyone on here about the clutch. i think it is a normal clutch and not extremely weak like others will claim. if your going to the drag strip and doing 6krpm launches at every intersection of course it will fail after 4000 miles. that will also apply to any car.

wombat was right about the tires too, they will wear fast as they are an ultra high performance street tire. soft rubber means really quick wear. you don't need to buy the expensive advans as a replacement. there are many other tires that will fair equal or better in grip for less money.

i loved the seats in the car far more then the STI or the wrx when i was test driving. i am 6' tall and 150lb so i am a "narrow" body. the STI in my opinion was designed for the "wide" body. i dont think i will have a problem with bolster wear because of my weight, but that wear will depend on your weight and method of entry into the car. the stock suspension will be excellent for most applications, and others will go to coilovers for the remaining applications where the stock isn;t good enough. for everyday street driving it is a bit bumpy but that is what you get from an out-of-the-box race car.

one thing i can add, the STI was pretty noisy in the car from the exhaust. the evo is a bit quieter which was a plus for me. i already have the deafening loud race car so i don't need the noise in my daily driver.

the HID headlights are a no brainer after comparing to the halogens in your wrx. no comparison (and the adjustable hieght is an awsome feature too!!).

the interior quality was already mentioned, but for me i have never even owned a car newer then 87 until this car. so anything is an improvement over that

 

hey "cheif" where is my white MR?

you told me you would find out about it and call me back. i haven't heard from you and that was on thursday.

 

Hey "Chief" I haven't heard a lot of good things about you yet. What gives?

 

Coming from a heavily modded (basically everything you could bolt on) WRX:

Pros:
- Seats blow away the STI's and WRX's
- Transmission feel is far superior in my opinion
- Stock handling is simply amazing
- Looks (subjective but I think it's a great looking vehicle)
- Amazing strong brakes, although a little prone to warpage :grrrr:
- Very strong motor (within reasonable demands) that's very mod happy
- Easy to work on. I cannot stress this enough, I've had more off this car and back on in a day than I could have managed in 2 days on the WRX.
- Paint , while not amazing, is MUCH better than my WRX's
- Even the stock stereo doesn't sound like crap
- Lots of aftermarket parts already available
- Sound deadening in the door panels (what a concept - the WRX had none).

Cons:
- Cheap feeling interior, but frankly you're too busy looking at the road ahead to worry about that. It's got it where it counts
- Stock clutch is supposedly a little on the weak side, but as with anything if you abuse it it's going to break.
- Miles per tank based on the tiny gas tank
- Stock BOV liable to leaking (it's a plastic POS)

To answer your questions...

The stock FMIC is actually a pretty good unit and good for easily up to 350WHP.

Stock fuel pump is adequate but is liable to starvation under increased boost. Walbro 255lph is a standard and VERY easy upgrade (20 minutes). Works just fine with the stock injectors and FPR too. I did this a week ago and it actually helped smooth the idle out, upper end power delivery has smoothed out.

The stock injectors are big enough (560cc) to support 330-350whp. Fuel rail, no known weaknesses, but a simple job to change. Anything fuel system related is very easy to get to, unlike the 4 hours it takes to swap injectors on the WRX.

Nope, but I can find out if you really need to know. GM 3 bar sensor is supposedly an easy upgrade.

Unless your WHP targets are over 350ish WHP, you wont be changing the turbo, other than for a 10.5 hotside or the TI. Tubular headers give good gains, and most aftermarket turbo kits come with them.

No idea. You could ask in the suspension forum.

I can only stress how day and night this vehicle is in comparison with the WRX, it feels so much more together than my WRX ever did. After the simple mods like the turbo back exhaust it just increases linearly. If you'd like any other subjective opinions let me know.

Cheers and good luck in your decision

Rich

 

Rich- thanks for the info. I know you from NASIOC. I remember your car getting rear ended, which led you to the EVO. Although I originally had planned on keeping the WRX, I may not because I have a friend who will be looking at it and may buy it. That means I can put more money in the EVO fund (and wait till I'm back in the states in September 2006 or 2007).

I know it's a little early to start, but I'd like to be better informed going into this purchase than when I got the WRX and had to learn it all from scratch.

Thanks to all for the info. Now I just have to choose between an EVO and the MR. I guess I'll just lurk around for a while and see what happens after people have owned the MR long enough to give us some good info.